Stuck and Loving It
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Riding on the Ferris wheel with a handsome stranger definitely has its perks.
1. We Were Strangers

Steve heard "Lonely ride in bucket five!" for the third time and finally turned his head to find the source of the boisterous voice. A young, redhaired woman was sitting in a Ferris wheel cart by herself, looking mortified as the operator of kept calling out for someone to take the seat next to her.

A pang of secondhand embarrassment went through Steve and before he realised what he was doing, his feet moved forward until he was standing in front of the Ferris wheel.

"I'll take the other seat," he said to the operator, handing him his ticket. The bulbous man took the paper from him with a dirty grin.

"Can't say I blame ya, pal. When there's a hot cookie like that in the cart. Try to keep things PG, huh?" He winked.

Steve narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He stepped forward and smiled kindly at the young woman. "Hi, I hope you don't mind sitting next to a stranger."

Her green eyes were full of gratefulness. When she spoke, he heard an accented lilt in her voice that wasn't very strong. "No, I'm glad that you came over. He's been yelling for a full minutes and I was afraid he was never going to shut up."

"That's unfortunate," Steve replied as he sat next to her and pulled the protective bar up.

"And embarrassing. I felt like a prize to be won or some toy to be shown off."

"Yeah. It was unprofessional behavior, that's for sure. The operator from last year didn't say things like that when single women rode the Ferris wheel." As the ride started to move, Steve looked down at the ground. "They should hire someone less impertinent next time."

"Impertinent? Now that's a word you don't hear every day. Are you a English teacher?"

"Right on the dot, but I'm also a painter. I charge commissions through a gallery downtown. It's a place called Stark's. Have you heard of it?"

"I have! I've actually been thinking about getting my portrait done by one of the artists there."

"Really? Good choice. We have a lot of good artists. Although, I'm sure a portrait, no matter how well it's made, could do you justice. It'd be difficult to capture such beauty on a canvas."

She blushed a beet red and looked away, unsure how to respond. "Thank you..."

Steve watched her reaction carefully and suspected that he said something wrong. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so direct. I tend to say what I think and a lot of people don't know how to take it."

"It's not that. I have heard a lot of lines from men about my hair, my clothes, my body, but you...the way you said that, I feel respected and safe. I know you weren't trying to get in my pants when you complimented me and I appreciate that. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Steve smiled before extending his hand out. "I'm Steve Rogers, by the way."

The redhead shook his hand with a firm grip. "Natalia Romanova."

"Oh, you're Russian?"

"Yes, born and raised, but I came to America with my cousins many months ago. They're the only family I have and they kept telling me in their letters how they wanted me to come and live with them. So I did."

Steve furrowed his brow. "Your cousins are from Russia as well?"

"Mhm. I didn't go with them because I was...afraid of leaving my country to come to a strange land. I never left Russia before, you see. It took several months of coaxing before I finally relented."

"Do you regret it?"

"Not at all. I'm enrolled in the New York University, although I haven't decided on a major just yet. I actually have a job teaching Russian to people who want to learn it and I get paid well, which is great." Natalia licked her lips as a rush of embarrassment ran over her. "I don't know why I told you all of that. I'm sure you couldn't care less what I do..."

"That's not true. I've never met anyone from Russia before and I don't mind listening to you. What else are we gonna do on this ride, anyway?"

Natalia blushed a little and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know." She glanced at the cart below them and felt a pang of jealousy. There was a happy young couple kissing quite passionately as the Ferris wheel went round. "Seems like they have a good idea."

Steve followed Natalia's line of sight and chuckled. "Yeah, Ferris wheels are perfect for a make out session."

"Is that from your own personal experience?"

"Who, me? Nah. I've never kissed a girl on a Ferris wheel or any other carnival ride for that matter."

"Why not?"

"The only girl I kiss will be my girlfriend and since I've never had one, there's been no point."

Natalia's eyes bugged out. She stared at Steve for a long time, unsure if he was joking with her or in earnest. "You've _never_ had a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

How interesting. It was unbelievable that a man as handsome and charming as Steve didn't have a girlfriend. What the hell was wrong with the women in New York? Perhaps she was about to overstep her boundaries, but she was very curious. "What about a one night stand? Or a fling?"

"Why so curious? Are you offering?" Steve's eyes sparkled in mischief and Natalia felt her pulse quicken. Is that what he thought she was getting at? The idea of having a liaison with this man sounded very nice. Of course, she wasn't that type of girl, but it still was tempting.

"Are you kidding? We hardly know each other."

"That's usually the point of a one night stand."

"Well, I suppose-" A loud clanging noise startled Natalia and she stopped speaking mid sentence. The Ferris wheel came to a complete and sudden stop, causing the carts to rock back and forth. Natalia gasped when she realised how high up they were and she grabbed onto Steve's shirt. "Why did the operator stop us here? I thought Ferris wheels were supposed to be in continuous movement."

"They are." Steve looked down. He couldn't see clearly because of how high they were, but the operator seemed to be running around and shouting something to another person. "I think something's wrong with the controls."

"Oh, wonderful. I'm stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel and it stopped working. This will be a memorable evening."

"I think it will, too...once you focus on me and not the altitude." Steve's words surprised Natalia and she looked at him, lips parted.

"What do you propose?"

"Why don't we get to know each other? It'll help take your mind off our unfortunate predicament."

"Well...okay." She gave him a tiny smile.

"Do you think you could ease up with the grip on my arm first? It's a bit tight."

Natalia gasped and removed her hands from his arm. "Oh, my God! I hadn't realized that I was holding on to you like that. I'm sorry." She clasped her hands together in her lap and shook her head.

"It's alright. I'm not used to situations like this either, so I won't hold it against you." He grinned at her and she felt her heart pound against her chest. Maybe being stuck up here wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. But Not After Tonight

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but your accent is very beautiful."

Natalia looked at Steve in surprise. "Thank you and I don't mind. No one has ever told me that before."

"What a shame." He smiled at her with a tenderness that made her heart beat fast. "They should pay more attention."

She looked away in mild embarrassment, unsure of how to respond. There was a blush rising on her cheeks and she felt silly for her body's reaction. Steve may be a stranger - _kind of_ \- to her, but he knew how to make her feel like a silly schoolgirl with a crush.

"What about you? Are you American by birth or were your parents from another country?"

"My parents were second generation Irish immigrants, so I was born and raised here. In Brooklyn, specifically."

"Ah, that explains the accent."

"Yep, but it's not very strong."

"My accent is the same, at least by normal Russian standards. It's much weaker now, although it gets stronger when I'm upset or excited."

"Have you had any reason to feel that way recently?"

"No, but my life is pretty uneventful at this point. All I do is work, go to school and spend time with my cousins. I don't have a lot of time for anything else."

"But you managed to come to the carnival."

"That was pure luck. Most of my students are out of town, so I cancelled this week's lessons to give the rest a break. I would have stayed at home with my cousins tonight, but they were both out on dates and I didn't want to stay at home by myself, so here I am."

"Good. Everyone needs a bit of fun time and I think you were definitely due."

"Thank you." Natalia rested her chin on her hand. "How long have you been a grammar teacher?"

"It's been nine years now. To be honest, I've been thinking of quitting."

"Don't you like teaching?"

"Yes, but it was a career that I chose as a back up in case my paintings never sold. Now they're popular in the East Village and Soho. People come to the gallery asking for me by name and it's a bit of a hassle juggling that and grading papers."

"So your heart is with artistry."

"That's right. Teaching is nice and I like it, but it's no match for the feel of a paintbrush in my hand and the smell of the acrylic on the canvas. Painting is perfect for me, you know? I can't see myself doing anything else."

"Then you should follow your heart. There aren't many of us who are in a place where we can do what we love. Go for it. You'll be happy you did in the long run."

"I suppose you're right. It's not fair to myself if I stay in a place where I'm unfulfilled."

"Exactly." Natalia touched Steve's hand assuringly.

They kept talking and after the next several minutes, Natalia was convinced that she'd fallen a little bit in love with him. It was preposterous to think about and if she told her cousins, they would likely laugh in her face, but it was true all the same.

Steve Rogers was everything Natalia ever wanted in a man: handsome, intelligent, compassionate and even though his sense of humor was a bit old fashioned, it was still charming. He also had a sense of chivalry that was refreshing and irresistibly endearing. It was nice to know that she could be treated like a lady in this day and age.

If her gaze hadn't occasionally drifted to the lights around them, Natalia wouldn't have remembered where they were. Steve helped offset her previous anxiety by asking questions about her life at home and how it was different from her life in America.

Natalia felt like he was truly interested in hearing what she had to say and that stroked her ego nicely. It had been a long time since a man treated her with such regard and she feared that she was getting spoiled by him.

Steve, in turn, had avoided asking Natalia if she had a boyfriend because he didn't want to sound like he was digging for information. Eventually, he was unable to resist, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the Ferris wheel started moving.

Natalia gasped and grabbed ahold of his arm. "We're moving again?"

"Yeah." Steve glanced at his watch. "And it only took them thirty-six minutes. Not bad."

"Not bad? Has this thing stopped before?"

"Mmhm. I think the longest time it stopped was for two and a half hours."

"Well, thank God we weren't up here for that long."

"Was my company that hard to bear?" There was a twinkle in Steve's eyes.

"Oh, no! That isn't what I meant!" Natalia furrowed her brow only to realise that she'd just been had. "You're an ass," came her lighthearted reply.

"At least you had a pleasant evening with an ass instead of some jerk who would have hit on you the entire time."

"If you _had_ hit on me, I wouldn't have minded..." Natalia looked up at Steve from under her eyelashes and was pleased to hear him suck in a breath and see his pupils dilate.

"I don't know if that would be appropriate. We are strangers after all." His tone was husky and tinged with emotion. Interesting.

"Mm, not really. In fact, I feel as if I've known you my whole life." Natalia slid her hands around his neck, pulling him closer until she was practically in his lap. Instinctively, Steve held her securely by the waist.

"I was going to say the same thing."

"So what would you like to do next?"

Natalia brushed her fingertips against Steve's mouth. His eyes were locked into hers and neither of them blinked. "I want to kiss you," she whispered.

"I guess I can allow that," he replied back with a teasing smile.

The redhead grinned and leaned forward, her lips gently touching his parted ones. Steve let Natalia control the pace - something she hadn't expected at all, but greatly appreciated - and she hummed softly, enjoying the feel of his mouth on hers.

A warm rush of excitement rushed through her as she cocked her head to the side and moved her hand to cradle his cheek. She felt the pounding of Steve's heart when their chests met. His muscled torso felt so good against her softer one and, without even realizing it, their bodies had begun rocking together. The more they touched, the damper Natalia's panties grew.

 _Oh._

She did not expect such a reaction, but she sure as hell wasn't going to feel bad about it. Still, they _were_ on a moving Ferris wheel and she was rocking on Steve's knee. This was not a desired place to have an orgasm.

Natalia inwardly scoffed when that thought came into her head. As if she'd be having _any_ kind of orgasm with Steve. She probably needed to just go home and pull out her vibrator since she was thinking in that direction. Another lonely night by herself...or perhaps not alone.

"Wait, Steve..." She panted, pulling away from him so she could speak. He didn't make it easy because he tugged her back to him, crushing his mouth against hers once more. This caused Natalia to buck her hips forward and they both groaned. His erection was now poking her in the stomach - not that she minded because it was flattering as hell.

"Steve. St-stop a minute."

It took a few more calls of his name before he finally pulled away, a red flush spreading on his skin. "Ah, sorry."

"It's okay. Um...listen, since we both have nothing to do tonight, I was wondering if you'd like to see a movie with me."

"Really?" Steve's eyes looked so alive and surprised by her suggestion.

"Yeah. There's an old movie marathon at the theater a few blocks away. Do you think you'd want to-"

"Yes. If it's with you, then my answer is yes."

Natalia's cheeks tinted pink and she smiled. "Good. I think we'll have a lot of fun."

"I agree. And theaters are great places to make out."

"You're speaking my language, Rogers."


End file.
